Horrible Omaha Housing Authority
Reports Are So Bad
The Omaha Housing Authority (OHA) keeps on popping up in the news with one bad thing after another. The latest is bed bugs (https://www.ketv.com/article/residents-say-bed-bug-issue-continues-at-omaha-housing-authority-apartments/63153678)! This news comes after word the OHA received over 35 million dollars from the US Department on Housing and Urban Development (https://www.wowt.com/2024/05/15/hud-awards-nebraska-public-housing-agencies-more-than-77-million/). This Federal Agency appears to be funding a problem instead of a solution.
But there is so much bad news about OHA, I plugged the topic into Perplexity.AI site to see what summary I would obtain. And this is what came up:
The Omaha Housing Authority (OHA) is facing numerous significant problems:
1. Financial challenges: OHA is operating on a tight budget, with a projected $1.17 million loss in 2024[1].
2. Aging infrastructure: Many properties have serious maintenance needs, including major plumbing upgrades in high-rise buildings and roof repairs for single-family homes[1].
3. Legal issues: Two recent lawsuits allege hazardous living conditions, including lack of heat, fire safety concerns, and pest infestations[1].
4. Increased evictions: OHA has filed for eviction more than 400 times in 2024, often for small amounts of money owed by tenants[2].
5. Maintenance backlog: The agency faces a massive maintenance backlog due to chronic underfunding from Congress[1].
6. Transition challenges: OHA's plans to overhaul its housing portfolio have faced criticism, including delays in demolishing abandoned properties[1].
7. Potential reduction in public housing: The agency's plans may lead to fewer public housing options for Omaha's poorest residents[1].
8. Communication issues: OHA has been using eviction notices as a way to communicate with hard-to-reach tenants[2].
These problems highlight the complex challenges OHA faces in providing safe, affordable housing while managing financial constraints and aging infrastructure.
Citations:
[1] https://flatwaterfreepress.org/facing-tight-budgets-and-rising-costs-agency-plans-to-overhaul-omahas-aging-public-housing/
[2] https://flatwaterfreepress.org/omahas-public-housing-residents-are-facing-eviction-more-often-and-sometimes-over-small-debts/
[3] https://www.ketv.com/article/omaha-housing-crisis-investigation/60044160
[4] https://www.ketv.com/article/omaha-housing-authority-lawsuit/61458117
[5]
[6] https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1163&context=cparpubarchives
Bed bugs are a persistent and significant problem for the Omaha Housing Authority (OHA):
1. Ongoing issue: Residents report that bed bug infestations continue to be a major problem in OHA apartments[5].
2. Unresolved situation: As of December 11, 2024, the OHA acknowledges that the bed bug issue has not yet been handled[1].
3. Widespread concern: Multiple residents have complained about bed bug infestations in their living spaces[2][4].
4. Legal implications: The bed bug problem is part of broader complaints about substandard living conditions, which have led to lawsuits against the OHA[3].
5. Lack of effective resolution: Despite previous investigations and complaints, the bed bug issue remains unresolved, indicating ongoing challenges in addressing the problem[5].
The persistence of bed bug infestations in OHA properties suggests a systemic issue that affects the quality of life for residents and poses health and safety concerns.
Citations:
[1]
[2]
[3] https://www.ketv.com/article/omaha-housing-authority-lawsuit-tenants-file-complaints-to-city/60243212
[4]
https://twitter.com/KETV/status/1866721588445360223
[5] https://www.ketv.com/article/residents-say-bed-bug-issue-continues-at-omaha-housing-authority-apartments/63153678
I've been out of commission (ill), so this is the first I'm actually seeing of this, but--there's a cheap and effective solution for treating bedbugs. I don't understand why OHA isn't using diatomaceous earth. It needs to be sprinkled on the carpets and puffed into every crevice and crack in the walls and around baseboards, cupboards, etc. (while this works best in apartments that are empty, it can also be used in apartments where people are currently living, as long as everyone works to minimize the dust getting into places where no one wants it).
It can also be dusted/puffed into the undersides of couches and upholstered chairs, and placed in shallow plastic or metal lids under beds and furniture with legs. It can also be used to line the inside ledges of dressers.
Clothing, shoes, stuffed animals, pillows, and linens that are suspected of having come into contact with bedbugs can be tumble-dried on med-high heat for 30 minutes to kill all bugs and eggs.
Items like books and dress shoes that can't be placed in a dryer can be put in plastic bags, dusted with diatomaceous earth, and the bags tightly fastened after all or most of the air is removed. Items need to stay in the bags a while to ensure full treatment (1-4 weeks, depending on how much air is removed).
I have to wonder how many of the other issues that OHA is facing that could also be reasonably and quickly fixed at minimal cost if someone just applied a little more common sense.